David and Cathie Plyler’s home off of Conner Grove Road is on the Floyd House and Garden Tour this year.
FLOYD — The self-guided House and Garden Tour of Floyd County tour will be held rain or shine from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm this Saturday, June 29.
“The tour will present five beautiful county homes that are excellent examples of the diversity and style embraced by Floyd County homeowners,” wrote Jeff Liverman, director of the Floyd Center for the Arts, in an announcement of the event.
The 2019 House and Garden Tour is the fifth annual event for the Floyd Center for the Arts and all proceeds go to support the arts in Floyd and is, in part, underwritten by Atlantic Union Bank.
“Like prior years, we expect this year’s tour to delight visitors with an eclectic mix of old and new, historic and contemporary,” Linda Fallon, the center’s board president said. “Tickets are now available online or by calling the art center”.
The Quesenberry’s light-filled, two-year-old timber frame house on 112 acres looks toward Buffalo Mountain.
Laura and Chuck Cain’s home on Ridgeview Road was once a dairy farm and has been considerably remodeled. The oak front door’s stained and etched glass pieces are original. The much-enlarged living room showcases a whale’s huge baleen, fishing floats and other collected pieces. There are artworks by the family’s children, collections from their 12 years in Alaska, and three large face jugs by North Carolina potter Bulin Craig. Flower gardens near the house, meadows, and a nearby stream enhance the porches and terrace that make this, as the owner says, “a party house.”
“Baile na nGael”: Gaelic for “Irish House,” is the sign at the entrance to this many-times enlarged and remodeled farmhouse, dating from around 1900 on Canning Factory Road. Kathleen Sowder has filled the house with many Irish artifacts and antiques include a Waterford “slag glass” fire screen and a chunk of green glass from a N. Ireland beach. A rarity: a handwritten page of a VA law book from 1888-89 is open on the desk in the “gentlemen’s parlour.” The owner’s finely-made crewel works in Irish patterns are seen throughout the house.
Chad and Kimberly Quesenberry’s home in Willis is a light-filled, two-year-old timber frame house, on 112 acres, looking toward Buffalo Mountain. And there’s a lot to see in the open-plan living area: artwork from many countries where the owners have lived or visited, collections ranging from bird feathers to shark teeth to decades-old plants. The kitchen features a 450-lb. table of oak, walnut and cedar. Kimberly, a serious gardener winters her plants in the nearby greenhouse, built in the style of the main house. The greenhouse will also be open for the tour.
David and Cathie Plyler’s home off of Conner Grove Road is an almost-new Craftsman-style house and presents a welcoming aspect: rocking chairs on the house-wide front porch and windows on all sides that maximize the views. Handsome horses graze in front; Buffalo Mountain rises behind. With muted colors and antiques mixed with repurposed vintage pieces, the house has a sense of calm. A dramatic open-plan kitchen features a huge armoire, bead-board ceilings and leathered granite countertops. (Five rescue dogs have their own shower facilities to one side.)
Silvie Granatelli and Jim Newlin’s house and lower-level terrace in Meadows of Dan look toward the North Carolina mountains. Inside, it’s a showcase for Silvie’s pottery, the works of her friends, and many other artisans. Custom cabinets, tables, and lamps were handmade by Floyd-area woodworkers and designers, some antiques are Jim’s family pieces from North Carolina. The second-floor guest rooms exhibit Silvie’s love of collections, from vintage postcards to blue and white jars. The Granatelli studio will be open for the tour, although her work will not be for sale.
Tickets are $30 per person and may be bought in person, by phone 540-745-2784, or online. If tickets are purchased on line, your receipt is your ticket. The ticket includes a gourmet box lunch, offered at the Center between 11:30 and 1:30. In addition to the complimentary lunch, visitors can purchase ice cream from Homestead Creamer, who will be set up at the Center during the event. You can pick up and take your lunch or enjoy your lunch with other tour goers at tables in the Community Room at the Center.
For more information about The Floyd Center for the Arts: FloydArtCenter.org or call 540-745-2784. The Center is located at 220 Parkway Lane South in Floyd, ½ mile south of the stoplight on Route 8. Regular hours are: Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m– 5 p.m..
About The Floyd Center for the Arts
The Floyd Center for the Arts seeks to showcase, support, and facilitate artistic endeavors and rural creativity throughout Southwest Virginia. Located in a historic dairy barn in Floyd, Virginia, the center pursues its mission through year-round educational opportunities, housing resident studio artists, mounting rotating exhibits that feature local and regional artists and artisans and more. www.FloydArtCenter.org 220 Parkway Lane, South, Floyd, VA 24091